Getting it right with a motorcycle that is supposed to specialize in one thing is far easier than when you have to design a product that is good for multiple things. Take speed, for instance. Designing a bike that will rip your arms out of the sockets isn’t very difficult; you just need to put in an engine with enough power (and a big enough fuel tank). However, making a performance motorcycle that can also be practical enough to enable daily riding is a different kettle of fish. It’s not impossible, however, as you’ll find out.
Should Your Performance Motorcycle Be Practical At All?
The answer to this question is quite a philosophical one. Some of us want our performance bikes to be pure of purpose, because that is the only way they will be all they can be. Others will want a jack of all trades, because why wouldn’t you want the ability to ride a performance bike every single opportunity that you get? There is no real right answer, but if your tendencies skew to the second kind of performance motorcycle, you’re in luck because motorcycle manufacturers have been trying hard to answer ‘yes’ to the question asked in the header, and there is one particular bike that does it better than most.
The Kawasaki Z H2 Is The Performance Motorcycle That Gets Speed, Precision, And Practicality Right
The streetfighter segment has gained popularity recently. These are motorcycles with genuine performance that are very closely related to their sport bike counterparts. They are a little like the origin of naked bikes in a way: they are simply sport bikes without the fairing, and have allowances made to make them a little easier to ride on public roads.
The premium streetfighter segment is a gloriously varied one, with absolutely every kind of product available. Some are value-driven but with exotic suspension, while others are exotic from tip to tail. It is one of the latter kinds of naked bikes we’re going to look at today, because it is the Kawasaki Z H2 that gets speed, precision, and practicality right.
The Z Is The Most Affordable H2
Anything from Kawasaki that is powered by the H2 engine is automatically a premium product. The Z H2 is undoubtedly that, and in Kawasaki’s hierarchy, its $21,999 price is definitely a premium price. However, when you look at other premium streetfighters and even the next most affordable H2-powered product, you’ll realize they’re all priced around the $30,000 mark. Not only is the Z H2 relatively affordable, but it also manages to offer great value!
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Powered By The World’s Only Supercharged Motorcycle Engine
This engine is over a decade old, but so far, nobody else has been forthcoming with their own forced induction solutions. That might change later this year, though we don’t expect any new engine to surpass the H2’s maximum power figures. The Z has a torque-rich tune of this engine as befits a naked bike, so it has ‘only’ 197 horsepower at 10,500 RPM from its supercharged 998 cc engine. It delivers in spades with its peak torque figure of 101 pound-feet at 8,500 RPM. A two-way quickshifter is standard and works from 2,500 RPM onward.
Interesting Engineering For The Engine
We could go on and on about how much engineering magic was needed to build this engine. This is a standard inline four engine, but it has a different firing order than what we’re used to. Kawasaki had to approach its aerospace division to build the supercharging system because it didn’t want a bulky intercooler. It uses space-age materials like Inconel, a corrosion-resistant superalloy made mostly from nickel, chromium, and iron. And yes, you get all the noises associated with forced induction if you give it the beans.
Z H2 Chassis Is Simple But Up To The Task
The Z H2’s chassis is simple in comparison to the engine. A steel trellis frame has been chosen for the stiffness it offers, along with light weight. Another choice is the two-sided swingarm. All the other H2-powered bikes have a single-sided unit, but the simplicity and light weight are all choices that fit the Z best.
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Electronic Suspension Is Standard
Kawasaki has chosen to treat the Z H2 as a premium product, so there aren’t any base variants. You just get the one variant with the ‘SE’ designation that Kawasaki reserves for products equipped with electronic suspension. In this Z’s case, it has Showa Skyhook EERA suspension. The compression and rebound damping adjust automatically through feedback from various sensors, but the preload adjustment (both ends have it) needs to be done manually. Diving deeper, the 43 mm SFF-BP inverted fork offers 4.7 inches of travel, while the Uni-Trak link-type rear monoshock offers 5.3 inches of travel.
Helping shed speed are twin 320 mm front discs gripped by Brembo M4.32 radial 4-piston fixed calipers, and a 260 mm rear disc with a single piston caliper. The 17-inch alloy wheels round things off.
The Z H2 Is A Little Portly
This naked Kawasaki is normal-sized for its class, at 82 inches long, almost 32 inches wide, and with a 57.3-inch wheelbase. For something that holds as much extra plumbing in the engine as it does, that is incredible. The seat is 32.7 inches off the floor, and the ground clearance is 5.5 inches. However, the curb weight figure is 531.4 pounds, which makes it heavier than the average premium streetfighter.
Long Features List, As Expected On A Premium bike
The Z H2 has a feature set that befits a premium motorcycle, but its age shows in certain places. Like in the 4.2-inch TFT display. It is useful but small by today’s standards. Even the Z900 has a bigger unit. You do get Bluetooth, navigation, and it will provide statistics about your rides via the Kawasaki Rideology smartphone application. All-LED lighting and self-healing paint are present, too.
The electronics package is a complete one, as you’d expect with a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU. It offers ride modes, cornering ABS, traction control, and engine brake control, a two-way quickshifter, cruise control, and even launch control.
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Some Very Good Options In The Market
The Z H2 is a little long in the tooth, and its weight can work against it if the buyer is looking for an outright fun machine. There are many options available. The KTM 1390 Super Duke Evo and Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory 1100 are both brilliant but fall short of outright performance. The Ducati Streetfighter V4 S also gets discounted because there’s no getting around the $30,995 price in this context.
The first of the worthy competitors then becomes the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS. It offers much of the same things that the Z H2 does, including the electronic suspension. Its odd-firing inline three-cylinder engine also offers a lot of torque across the rev range, and it is priced at $21,095 – right where it needs to be for this conversation.
Unfortunately for the Triumph and the Kawasaki, BMW offers the M 1000 R at a base price of $22,695. Of course, the sky is the limit here when you dip into the options list, but what you get for your money is a naked bike that is as fast as any other and has the precision of German engineering behind it. We also like that the passenger seat and footpegs are a no-cost addition, and most accessories, including the data acquisition system for track days, are individually selectable add-ons. If that – and the great base price – aren’t practical features, what is?
Source: Kawasaki USA